So some background, I went from my 1998 GMC Jimmy late last year to my 2023 4Runner ORP. Now my 4Runner experience was a little mixed. I initially test drove a used 2019 SR5 and that vehicle seemed very boat-like, basically like a larger version of the Jimmy and did feel primitive. However then I test drove the ORP that I bought and that seemed to have a stiffer suspension. Now I don't know if there is any difference in the suspensions of Off-Roads versus the regular 4Runners or if it was just a placebo effect, but this ORP is like a sports car compared to that Jimmy and I am not conscious of any body roll when turning or nose diving when braking. It rides very nice. If there is a difference in the suspensions, then I figure all a boat-like 4Runner needs is an upgrade to a stiffer suspension. Mine is not a KDSS or a Pro.

So anyhow, my dad just got a used 2020 Acura MDX, which while a bit aged, is still much more road and highway-worthy than the 4Runner, very aerodynamic and round, sporty tires, four wheel independent suspension and unibody design, plus a 290 horsepower engine with 9-speed automatic transmission. So since the 4Runner was the only "new" vehicle I've driven, I was very curious to see how this MDX would compare as automotive reviewers are always saying how Stone Age the 4Runner is. My dad wanted me to take it for a spin to see if I detect any problems, so I took it on the highway and then for a drive on a nice country road.

Well it does drive very nice and afterwards, I went and took the 4Runner for a spin to make a comparison. To which all I can say is, like Rose in "Titanic" upon first seeing the ship, "I don't see what all the fuss is about." I was expecting to drive this vehicle and come away thinking, "Holy Crap, the 4Runner really is primitive in comparison to this." And "yes," the 4Runner is somewhat more primitive given its suspension and being a body-on-frame truck with a solid rear axle, but it wasn't any MAJOR difference. I was really expecting a larger difference. The only real difference was just with how much more seamlessly the MDX's transmission shifts, and even there it wasn't that big.

Now the Jimmy, THAT thing was primitive! I loved it as a vehicle and it served me well, but automakers have made some major improvements in how vehicles drive since then! But the difference between the Jimmy and the 4Runner was far greater than the difference between the 4Runner and the MDX.

So the 4Runner doesn't to me seem nearly as primitive as the automotive reviewers make it out to be. One thing I will say I did NOT like about the MDX is that the climate controls are in the touchscreen. There is a switch, one for the driver and one for the passenger, to toggle the temperature up or down, but otherwise to adjust the fan speed, you must hit a tiny button on the touch screen in the right spot, or go into a menu which gives you a bigger button to press. From what I've read, automakers are doing away with this now since people hate it. Also the 4Runner seems to have a better air conditioner.

Have you ever read a review of a full sized truck that describes them as primitive? Thought so. Problem with 4Runners is the reviewers are looking for what they are not. Many posters here are the same in that they expect 12 second 1/4 miles and handling like a sportscar, all the while performing admirably on off-road trails.

Yesterday we took my wife’s brand new ORP up to our home on Big Bear Lake, then off-roading in Holcomb Valley north of Fawnskin to do a little shooting. Must have been Rivian weekend as we saw at least half a dozen going the opposite way. My god they are ugly vehicles. They had to work at it to make it so ugly. We also saw a 10 car train of crossover SUVs coming the opposite way and they were struggling with their low clearance. Prime example of cars being used for what they aren’t designed for.

Challenge for you:

Borrow your dad's MDX and follow me over Imogene pass in western Colorado (Imogene Pass – near Telluride, CO | Uncompahgre National Forest). Then we will see what is primitive.
Everything you need to know about the famous Imogene Pass in CO

Must not read the same reviews I have as I definitely have seen both full and mid-size trucks called out as primitive (for one thing, the pre-redesign Tundra was turning into quite the dinosaur like the 4Runner).

Toyota has done a nice job freshening up the 4Runner to add more modern amenities starting around 2020 (the cars were more behind in the 2015 to 2019 model years in my opinion).

That being said, things like the powertrain are straight from the 90s. Additionally, for 90% or more of buyers of 4Runners, a unibody cross-over derived SUV would probably be a more comfortable vehicle and fit their needs better (while definitely getting better gas mileage). But people are trying to shake the "mini-van-lite" image of cross overs when dropping their kids off in the school line.

Maybe I'm being overly critical, but the majority of off-roading 4Runners do is people driving them over curbs when cutting their turns too tight.

I think I will stick with my 4Runner! That is also a point though that I have often thought, that in terms of what it was designed for, the 4Runner really is not primitive. I suppose the engine and transmission that criticism could be applied to, but the critics are usually criticizing the on road driving dynamics.

You mean the electric SUV designed by the new car company Rivian? If so, I would actually have to disagree with you on the ugly part as I think it looks fine. It is nice and blocky, which I like. Not as nice as the 4Runner though.

Technically-speaking, I'd say the 4Runner is a lousy vehicle if you are not intending to ever go off-road and if people did proper research before shelling out for a new vehicle, they'd know this. Toyota itself has multiple alternatives: the Rav4, the Highlander, and Grand Highlander. You should only buy a 4Runner if you are intending to go off road.

Although that said, I probably should be glad people who don't off road buy them as otherwise Toyota probably wouldn't sell enough and would have to discontinue the model.